Biomedical Informatics Commons^™

A Revamped Rat Reference Genome Improves The Discovery Of Genetic Diversity In Laboratory Rats, Tristan V De Jong, Yanchao Pan, Pasi Rastas, Daniel Munro, Monika Tutaj, Huda Akil, Chris Benner, Denghui Chen, Apurva S Chitre, William Chow, Vincenza Colonna, Clifton L Dalgard, Wendy M Demos, Peter A Doris, Erik Garrison, Aron M Geurts, Hakan M Gunturkun, Victor Guryev, Thibaut Hourlier, Kerstin Howe, Jun Huang, Ted Kalbfleisch, Panjun Kim, Ling Li, Spencer Mahaffey, Fergal J Martin, Pejman Mohammadi, Ayse Bilge Ozel, Oksana Polesskaya, Michal Pravenec, Pjotr Prins, Jonathan Sebat, Jennifer R Smith, Leah C Solberg Woods, Boris Tabakoff, Alan Tracey, Marcela Uliano-Silva, Flavia Villani, Hongyang Wang, Burt M Sharp, Francesca Telese, Zhihua Jiang, Laura Saba, Xusheng Wang, Terence D Murphy, Abraham A Palmer, Anne E Kwitek, Melinda R Dwinell, Robert W Williams, Jun Z Li, Hao Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The seventh iteration of the reference genome assembly for Rattus norvegicus-mRatBN7.2-corrects numerous misplaced segments and reduces base-level errors by approximately 9-fold and increases contiguity by 290-fold compared with its predecessor. Gene annotations are now more complete, improving the mapping precision of genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomics datasets. We jointly analyzed 163 short-read whole-genome sequencing datasets representing 120 laboratory rat strains and substrains using mRatBN7.2. We defined ∼20.0 million sequence variations, of which 18,700 are predicted to potentially impact the function of 6,677 genes. We also generated a new rat genetic map from 1,893 heterogeneous stock rats and annotated transcription start sites …

Immunomodulatory Zymosan/Ι-Carrageenan/ Agarose Hydrogel For Targeting M2 To M1 Macrophages (Antitumoral), Geetha Venkatachalam, Jayant Giri, Saurav Mallik, Gandarvakottai Senthilkumar Arumugam, Manavalan Arulmani, Vimal Kumar Dewangan, Mukesh Doble, Zhongming Zhao

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Several studies have been performed on the immunomodulatory effects of yeast β-(1,3) glucan, but there is no proper evaluation of the thermal and immunomodulating properties of zymosan (ZM). Thermogravimetry analysis indicated a 54% weight loss of ZM at 270 °C. Circular dichroism showed absorption peaks in the region of 250 to 400 nm, suggesting a helical coil β-sheet configuration. XRD showed a broad peak at 2θ of 20.38°, indicating the crystalline nature, and the size was found to be 23 nm. ZM is biocompatible and showed no toxicity against L929 and RAW 264.7 cell lines (cell viability > 90%). Immunomodulatory …

Synovial Fibroblast Gene Expression Is Associated With Sensory Nerve Growth And Pain In Rheumatoid Arthritis, Zilong Bai, Nicholas Bartelo, Maryam Aslam, Elisabeth A Murphy, Caryn R Hale, Nathalie E Blachere, Salina Parveen, Edoardo Spolaore, Edward Dicarlo, Ellen M Gravallese, Melanie H Smith, Accelerating Medicines Partnership Ra/Sle Network, Mayu O Frank, Caroline S Jiang, Haotan Zhang, Christina Pyrgaki, Myles J Lewis, Shafaq Sikandar, Costantino Pitzalis, Joseph B Lesnak, Khadijah Mazhar, Theodore J Price, Anne-Marie Malfait, Rachel E Miller, Fan Zhang, Susan Goodman, Robert B Darnell, Fei Wang, Dana E Orange

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

It has been presumed that rheumatoid arthritis (RA) joint pain is related to inflammation in the synovium; however, recent studies reveal that pain scores in patients do not correlate with synovial inflammation. We developed a machine-learning approach (graph-based gene expression module identification or GbGMI) to identify an 815-gene expression module associated with pain in synovial biopsy samples from patients with established RA who had limited synovial inflammation at arthroplasty. We then validated this finding in an independent cohort of synovial biopsy samples from patients who had early untreated RA with little inflammation. Single-cell RNA sequencing analyses indicated that most of …

Cd24 Negativity Reprograms Mitochondrial Metabolism To Pparα And Nf-Κb-Driven Fatty Acid Β-Oxidation In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Divya Murthy, Debasmita Dutta, Kuldeep S Attri, Tagari Samanta, Sukjin Yang, Kwang Hwa Jung, Sarah G Latario, Vasanta Putluri, Shixia Huang, Nagireddy Putluri, Jun Hyoung Park, Benny Abraham Kaipparettu

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

CD24 is a well-characterized breast cancer (BC) stem cell (BCSC) marker. Primary breast tumor cells having CD24-negativity together with CD44-positivity is known to maintain high metastatic potential. However, the functional role of CD24 gene in triple-negative BC (TNBC), an aggressive subtype of BC, is not well understood. While the significance of CD24 in regulating immune pathways is well recognized in previous studies, the significance of CD24 low expression in onco-signaling and metabolic rewiring is largely unknown. Using CD24 knock-down and over-expression TNBC models, our in vitro and in vivo analysis suggest that CD24 is a tumor suppressor in metastatic TNBC. …

"The Relevant History And Medical And Ethical Future Viability Of Xenotransplantation", Morgan Janes

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

Xenotransplantation, the transplantation of organs or tissues from one species to another, presents a complex nexus of medical, ethical, and cultural considerations. In this article, we delve into the multifaceted landscape of xenotransplantation, beginning with a thorough examination of its relevant historical trajectory. From early experiments to recent advancements, we chart the evolution of this field, setting the stage for a nuanced discussion. We then confront the central issue: the true medical viability of xenotransplantation and the looming specter of operative risk. By scrutinizing the ethical dilemmas inherent in xenotransplantation through a multicultural lens, we illuminate the diverse perspectives that …

Funcpep V20: An Updated Database Of Functional Short Peptides Translated From Non-Coding Rnas, Swati Mohapatra, Anik Banerjee, Paola Rausseo, Mihnea P Dragomir, Ganiraju C Manyam, Bradley M Broom, George A Calin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Over the past decade, there have been reports of short novel functional peptides (less than 100 aa in length) translated from so-called non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that have been characterized using mass spectrometry (MS) and large-scale proteomics studies. Therefore, understanding the bivalent functions of some ncRNAs as transcripts that encode both functional RNAs and short peptides, which we named ncPEPs, will deepen our understanding of biology and disease. In 2020, we published the first database of functional peptides translated from non-coding RNAs-FuncPEP. Herein, we have performed an update including the newly published ncPEPs from the last 3 years along with the …

Nanocavity-Mediated Purcell Enhancement Of Er In Tio2 Thin Films Grown Via Atomic Layer Deposition, Cheng Ji, Michael T Solomon, Gregory D Grant, Koichi Tanaka, Muchuan Hua, Jianguo Wen, Sagar Kumar Seth, Connor P Horn, Ignas Masiulionis, Manish Kumar Singh, Sean E Sullivan, F Joseph Heremans, David D Awschalom, Supratik Guha, Alan M Dibos

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The use of trivalent erbium (Er3+), typically embedded as an atomic defect in the solid-state, has widespread adoption as a dopant in telecommunication devices and shows promise as a spin-based quantum memory for quantum communication. In particular, its natural telecom C-band optical transition and spin-photon interface make it an ideal candidate for integration into existing optical fiber networks without the need for quantum frequency conversion. However, successful scaling requires a host material with few intrinsic nuclear spins, compatibility with semiconductor foundry processes, and straightforward integration with silicon photonics. Here, we present Er-doped titanium dioxide (TiO2) thin film growth on silicon …

Chromatin Profiles Are Prognostic Of Clinical Response To Bortezomib-Containing Chemotherapy In Pediatric Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Results From The Cog Aaml1031 Trial, Anneke D Van Dijk, Fieke W Hoff, Yihua Qiu, Stefan E Hubner, Robin L Go, Vivian R Ruvolo, Amanda R Leonti, Robert B Gerbing, Alan S Gamis, Richard Aplenc, Edward A Kolb, Todd A Alonzo, Soheil Meshinchi, Eveline S J M De Bont, Terzah M Horton, Steven M Kornblau

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The addition of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib to standard chemotherapy did not improve survival in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) when all patients were analyzed as a group in the Children's Oncology Group phase 3 trial AAML1031 (NCT01371981). Proteasome inhibition influences the chromatin landscape and proteostasis, and we hypothesized that baseline proteomic analysis of histone- and chromatin-modifying enzymes (HMEs) would identify AML subgroups that benefitted from bortezomib addition. A proteomic profile of 483 patients treated with AAML1031 chemotherapy was generated using a reverse-phase protein array. A relatively high expression of 16 HME was associated with lower EFS and …

Funcpep V20: An Updated Database Of Functional Short Peptides Translated From Non-Coding Rnas, Swati Mohapatra, Anik Banerjee, Paola Rausseo, Mihnea P Dragomir, Ganiraju C Manyam, Bradley M Broom, George A Calin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Over the past decade, there have been reports of short novel functional peptides (less than 100 aa in length) translated from so-called non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that have been characterized using mass spectrometry (MS) and large-scale proteomics studies. Therefore, understanding the bivalent functions of some ncRNAs as transcripts that encode both functional RNAs and short peptides, which we named ncPEPs, will deepen our understanding of biology and disease. In 2020, we published the first database of functional peptides translated from non-coding RNAs-FuncPEP. Herein, we have performed an update including the newly published ncPEPs from the last 3 years along with the …

Arterial Spin-Labeling And Dsc Perfusion Metrics Improve Agreement In Neuroradiologists' Clinical Interpretations Of Posttreatment High-Grade Glioma Surveillance Mr Imaging-An Institutional Experience, Ghiam Yamin, Eric Tranvinh, Bryan A Lanzman, Elizabeth Tong, Syed S Hashmi, Chirag B Patel, Michael Iv

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Background and purpose: MR perfusion has shown value in the evaluation of posttreatment high-grade gliomas, but few studies have shown its impact on the consistency and confidence of neuroradiologists' interpretation in routine clinical practice. We evaluated the impact of adding MR perfusion metrics to conventional contrast-enhanced MR imaging in posttreatment high-grade glioma surveillance imaging.

Materials and methods: This retrospective study included 45 adults with high-grade gliomas who had posttreatment perfusion MR imaging. Four neuroradiologists assigned Brain Tumor Reporting and Data System scores for each examination on the basis of the interpretation of contrast-enhanced MR imaging and then after the addition …

Author Correction: Comparative Analysis Of Dimension Reduction Methods For Cytometry By Time-Of-Flight Data, Kaiwen Wang, Yuqiu Yang, Fangjiang Wu, Bing Song, Xinlei Wang, Tao Wang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

The Roles Of Ferroptosis In Cancer: Tumor Suppression, Tumor Microenvironment, And Therapeutic Interventions, Guang Lei, Li Zhuang, Boyi Gan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

In cancer treatment, the recurrent challenge of inducing apoptosis through conventional therapeutic modalities, often thwarted by therapy resistance, emphasizes the critical need to explore alternative cell death pathways. Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of regulated cell death triggered by the lethal accumulation of lipid peroxides on cellular membranes, has emerged as one such promising frontier in oncology. Induction of ferroptosis not only suppresses tumor growth but also holds potential for augmenting immunotherapy responses and surmounting resistance to existing cancer therapies. This review navigates the role of ferroptosis in tumor suppression. Furthermore, we delve into the complex role of ferroptosis within the …

Arid1a Orchestrates Swi/Snf-Mediated Sequential Binding Of Transcription Factors With Arid1a Loss Driving Pre-Memory B Cell Fate And Lymphomagenesis, Darko Barisic, Christopher R Chin, Cem Meydan, Matt Teater, Ioanna Tsialta, Coraline Mlynarczyk, Amy Chadburn, Xuehai Wang, Margot Sarkozy, Min Xia, Sandra E Carson, Santo Raggiri, Sonia Debek, Benedikt Pelzer, Ceyda Durmaz, Qing Deng, Priya Lakra, Martin Rivas, Christian Steidl, David W Scott, Andrew P Weng, Christopher E Mason, Michael R Green, Ari Melnick

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

ARID1A, a subunit of the canonical BAF nucleosome remodeling complex, is commonly mutated in lymphomas. We show that ARID1A orchestrates B cell fate during the germinal center (GC) response, facilitating cooperative and sequential binding of PU.1 and NF-kB at crucial genes for cytokine and CD40 signaling. The absence of ARID1A tilts GC cell fate toward immature IgM+CD80-PD-L2- memory B cells, known for their potential to re-enter new GCs. When combined with BCL2 oncogene, ARID1A haploinsufficiency hastens the progression of aggressive follicular lymphomas (FLs) in mice. Patients with FL with ARID1A-inactivating mutations preferentially display an immature memory B cell-like state with …

Smarca4 Is A Haploinsufficient B Cell Lymphoma Tumor Suppressor That Fine-Tunes Centrocyte Cell Fate Decisions, Qing Deng, Priya Lakra, Panhong Gou, Haopeng Yang, Cem Meydan, Matthew Teater, Christopher Chin, Wenchao Zhang, Tommy Dinh, Usama Hussein, Xubin Li, Estela Rojas, Weiguang Liu, Patrick K Reville, Atish Kizhakeyil, Darko Barisic, Sydney Parsons, Ashley Wilson, Jared Henderson, Brooks Scull, Channabasavaiah Gurumurthy, Francisco Vega, Amy Chadburn, Branko Cuglievan, Nader Kim El-Mallawany, Carl Allen, Christopher Mason, Ari Melnick, Michael R Green

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

SMARCA4 encodes one of two mutually exclusive ATPase subunits in the BRG/BRM associated factor (BAF) complex that is recruited by transcription factors (TFs) to drive chromatin accessibility and transcriptional activation. SMARCA4 is among the most recurrently mutated genes in human cancer, including ∼30% of germinal center (GC)-derived Burkitt lymphomas. In mice, GC-specific Smarca4 haploinsufficiency cooperated with MYC over-expression to drive lymphomagenesis. Furthermore, monoallelic Smarca4 deletion drove GC hyperplasia with centroblast polarization via significantly increased rates of centrocyte recycling to the dark zone. Mechanistically, Smarca4 loss reduced the activity of TFs that are activated in centrocytes to drive GC-exit, including SPI1 …

Single-Cell Systems Pharmacology Identifies Development-Driven Drug Response And Combination Therapy In B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Xin Huang, Yizhen Li, Jingliao Zhang, Lei Yan, Huanbin Zhao, Liang Ding, Sheetal Bhatara, Xu Yang, Satoshi Yoshimura, Wenjian Yang, Seth E Karol, Hiroto Inaba, Charles Mullighan, Mark Litzow, Xiaofan Zhu, Yingchi Zhang, Wendy Stock, Nitin Jain, Elias Jabbour, Steven M Kornblau, Marina Konopleva, Ching-Hon Pui, Elisabeth Paietta, William Evans, Jiyang Yu, Jun J Yang

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Leukemia can arise at various stages of the hematopoietic differentiation hierarchy, but the impact of developmental arrest on drug sensitivity is unclear. Applying network-based analyses to single-cell transcriptomes of human B cells, we define genome-wide signaling circuitry for each B cell differentiation stage. Using this reference, we comprehensively map the developmental states of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), revealing its strong correlation with sensitivity to asparaginase, a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. Single-cell multi-omics analyses of primary B-ALL blasts reveal marked intra-leukemia heterogeneity in asparaginase response: resistance is linked to pre-pro-B-like cells, with sensitivity associated with the pro-B-like population. By …

A Structured Curriculum Supporting Biomedical Trainees’ Transition Into Independent Academic Positions And Early Career Success, Mabel Perez-Oquendo, Gabriele Romano, David P Farris, Varsha Gandhi, Ignacio I Wistuba, Robert E Tillman, Ryan Udan, Paolo Mangahas, Rama Soundararajan

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

The United States government makes a substantial investment in biomedical training programs each year. However, for most trainees, these opportunities do not translate into career progression in academic research pathways. Only about one-fifth of postdoctoral fellows eventually secure a tenure-track faculty position, and even among these candidates, attrition is high. Although a number of factors govern career choices and career longevity, the transition from trainee to faculty is a challenging process and requires knowledge and skills that are not necessarily developed during a traditional university experience. Many postdoctoral fellows receive adequate training in research skills and scientific communication, but new …

Sub-Saharan Africa’S Handling Of Covid-19 Pandemic: Rwanda Versus Tanzania, Luke D. Baumel

Honors Undergraduate Conference

How has the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020 and the pandemic that followed been handled in Sub-Saharan Africa? What was done well and what was done poorly and why? What are the implications of the way it was handled? These questions and more are answered throughout this paper, using Rwanda as an example of a Sub-Saharan African country who handled it relatively well and neighboring Tanzania as an example of a Sub-Saharan African country that mishandled the outbreak and pandemic. In early 2021, most Sub-Saharan African countries had been afflicted by Covid-19 at a relatively lower rate than many Western …

Enhanced Plant-Derived Vesicles For Nucleotide Delivery For Cancer Therapy, Sara Corvigno, Yuan Liu, Emine Bayraktar, Elaine Stur, Nazende Nur Bayram, Adrian Lankenau Ahumada, Supriya Nagaraju, Cristian Rodriguez-Aguayo, Hu Chen, Thanh Chung Vu, Yunfei Wen, Han Liang, Li Zhao, Sanghoon Lee, Gabriel Lopez-Berestein, Anil K Sood

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Small RNAs (microRNAs [miRNAs] or small interfering RNAs [siRNAs]) are effective tools for cancer therapy, but many of the existing carriers for their delivery are limited by low bioavailability, insufficient loading, impaired transport across biological barriers, and low delivery into the tumor microenvironment. Extracellular vesicle (EV)-based communication in mammalian and plant systems is important for many physiological and pathological processes, and EVs show promise as carriers for RNA interference molecules. However, some fundamental issues limit their use, such as insufficient cargo loading and low potential for scaling production. Plant-derived vesicles (PDVs) are membrane-coated vesicles released in the apoplastic fluid of …

Human Brain Glycoform Coregulation Network And Glycan Modification Alterations In Alzheimer's Disease, Qi Zhang, Cheng Ma, Lih-Shen Chin, Sheng Pan, Lian Li

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Despite the importance of protein glycosylation to brain health, current knowledge of glycosylated proteoforms or glycoforms in human brain and their alterations in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is limited. Here, we report a proteome-wide glycoform profiling study of human AD and control brains using intact glycopeptide-based quantitative glycoproteomics coupled with systems biology. Our study identified more than 10,000 human brain N-glycoforms from nearly 1200 glycoproteins and uncovered disease signatures of altered glycoforms and glycan modifications, including reduced sialylation and N-glycan branching and elongation as well as elevated mannosylation and N-glycan truncation in AD. Network analyses revealed a higher-order organization of brain …

Application Of Deep Learning On Mammographies To Discriminate Between Low And High-Risk Dcis For Patient Participation In Active Surveillance Trials, Sena Alaeikhanehshir, Madelon M Voets, Frederieke H Van Duijnhoven, Esther H Lips, Emma J Groen, Marja C J Van Oirsouw, Shelley E Hwang, Joseph Y Lo, Jelle Wesseling, Ritse M Mann, Jonas Teuwen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

BACKGROUND: Ductal Carcinoma In Situ (DCIS) can progress to invasive breast cancer, but most DCIS lesions never will. Therefore, four clinical trials (COMET, LORIS, LORETTA, AND LORD) test whether active surveillance for women with low-risk Ductal carcinoma In Situ is safe (E. S. Hwang et al., BMJ Open, 9: e026797, 2019, A. Francis et al., Eur J Cancer. 51: 2296-2303, 2015, Chizuko Kanbayashi et al. The international collaboration of active surveillance trials for low-risk DCIS (LORIS, LORD, COMET, LORETTA), L. E. Elshof et al., Eur J Cancer, 51, 1497-510, 2015). Low-risk is defined as grade I or II DCIS. Because …

Deparylation Is Critical For S Phase Progression And Cell Survival, Litong Nie, Chao Wang, Min Huang, Xiaoguang Liu, Xu Feng, Mengfan Tang, Siting Li, Qinglei Hang, Hongqi Teng, Xi Shen, Li Ma, Boyi Gan, Junjie Chen

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Poly(ADP-ribose)ylation or PARylation by PAR polymerase 1 (PARP1) and dePARylation by poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARG) are equally important for the dynamic regulation of DNA damage response. PARG, the most active dePARylation enzyme, is recruited to sites of DNA damage via pADPr-dependent and PCNA-dependent mechanisms. Targeting dePARylation is considered an alternative strategy to overcome PARP inhibitor resistance. However, precisely how dePARylation functions in normal unperturbed cells remains elusive. To address this challenge, we conducted multiple CRISPR screens and revealed that dePARylation of S phase pADPr by PARG is essential for cell viability. Loss of dePARylation activity initially induced S-phase-specific pADPr signaling, which …

The Saga Of E Faecium, Rishika Prasad, Robert R Jenq

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

An enzyme that remodels the cell wall of Enterococcus faecium helps these gut bacteria to divide and generate peptide fragments that enhance the immune response against cancer.

First-In-Human Phase I Study Of Tinengotinib (Tt-00420), A Multiple Kinase Inhibitor, As A Single Agent In Patients With Advanced Solid Tumors, Sarina A Piha-Paul, Binghe Xu, Ecaterina E Dumbrava, Siqing Fu, Daniel D Karp, Funda Meric-Bernstam, David S Hong, Jordi A Rodon, Apostolia M Tsimberidou, Kanwal Raghav, Jaffer A Ajani, Anthony P Conley, Frank Mott, Ying Fan, Jean Fan, Peng Peng, Hui Wang, Shumao Ni, Caixia Sun, Xiaoyan Qiang, Wendy J Levin, Brenda Ngo, Qinhua Cindy Ru, Frank Wu, Milind M Javle

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

PURPOSE: This first-in-human phase I dose-escalation study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of tinengotinib (TT-00420), a multi-kinase inhibitor targeting fibroblast growth factor receptors 1-3 (FGFRs 1-3), Janus kinase 1/2, vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, and Aurora A/B, in patients with advanced solid tumors.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients received tinengotinib orally daily in 28-day cycles. Dose escalation was guided by Bayesian modeling using escalation with overdose control. The primary objective was to assess dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs), maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and dose recommended for dose expansion (DRDE). Secondary objectives included pharmacokinetics and efficacy.

RESULTS: Forty-eight patients were enrolled (dose escalation, …

De Novo Variants In Fryl Are Associated With Developmental Delay, Intellectual Disability, And Dysmorphic Features, Xueyang Pan, Alice M Tao, Shenzhao Lu, Mengqi Ma, Shabab B Hannan, Rachel Slaugh, Sarah Drewes Williams, Lauren O'Grady, Oguz Kanca, Richard Person, Melissa T Carter, Konrad Platzer, Franziska Schnabel, Rami Abou Jamra, Amy E Roberts, Jane W Newburger, Anya Revah-Politi, Jorge L Granadillo, Alexander P A Stegmann, Margje Sinnema, Andrea Accogli, Vincenzo Salpietro, Valeria Capra, Lina Ghaloul-Gonzalez, Martina Brueckner, Marleen E H Simon, David A Sweetser, Kevin E Glinton, Susan E Kirk, Baylor College Of Medicine Center For Precision Medicine Models, Michael F Wangler, Shinya Yamamoto, Wendy K Chung, Hugo J Bellen

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

FRY-like transcription coactivator (FRYL) belongs to a Furry protein family that is evolutionarily conserved from yeast to humans. The functions of FRYL in mammals are largely unknown, and variants in FRYL have not previously been associated with a Mendelian disease. Here, we report fourteen individuals with heterozygous variants in FRYL who present with developmental delay, intellectual disability, dysmorphic features, and other congenital anomalies in multiple systems. The variants are confirmed de novo in all individuals except one. Human genetic data suggest that FRYL is intolerant to loss of function (LoF). We find that the fly FRYL ortholog, furry (fry), is …

Somatic Mutations In Normal Tissues: Calm Before The Storm, Zahraa Rahal, Paul Scheet, Humam Kadara

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

We explore the phenomenon of somatic mutations, including those in cancer driver genes, that are present in healthy, normal-appearing tissues and their potential implications for cancer development. We also examine the landscape of these somatic mutations, discuss the role of clonal cell competition and external factors like inflammation in enhancing the fitness of mutant clones, and conclude by considering how understanding these mutations will aid in prevention and/or interception of cancer.

Personalized Llm Response Generation With Parameterized Memory Injection, Kai Zhang, Yejin Kim, Xiaozhong Liu

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Large Language Models (LLMs) have exhibited remarkable proficiency in comprehending and generating natural language. On the other hand, personalized LLM response generation holds the potential to offer substantial benefits for individuals in critical areas such as medical. Existing research has explored memory-augmented methods to prompt the LLM with pre-stored user-specific knowledge for personalized response generation in terms of new queries. We contend that such paradigm is unable to perceive fine-granularity information. In this study, we propose a novel \textbf{M}emory-\textbf{i}njected approach using parameter-efficient fine-tuning (PEFT) and along with a Bayesian Optimisation searching strategy to achieve \textbf{L}LM \textbf{P}ersonalization(\textbf{MiLP}).

The Hallmarks Of Precancer, Mary M Stangis, Zhengyi Chen, Jimin Min, Sarah E Glass, Jordan O Jackson, Megan D Radyk, Xen Ping Hoi, W Nathaniel Brennen, Ming Yu, Huy Q Dinh, Robert J Coffey, Martha J Shrubsole, Keith S Chan, William M Grady, Srinivasan Yegnasubramanian, Costas A Lyssiotis, Anirban Maitra, Richard B Halberg, Neelendu Dey, Ken S Lau

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Research on precancers, as defined as at-risk tissues and early lesions, is of high significance given the effectiveness of early intervention. We discuss the need for risk stratification to prevent overtreatment, an emphasis on the role of genetic and epigenetic aging when considering risk, and the importance of integrating macroenvironmental risk factors with molecules and cells in lesions and at-risk normal tissues for developing effective intervention and health policy strategies.

T-Cell Dysfunctions In Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Juan Jose Rodriguez-Sevilla, Simona Colla

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Escape from immune surveillance is a hallmark of cancer. Immune deregulation caused by intrinsic and extrinsic cellular factors, such as altered T-cell functions, leads to immune exhaustion, loss of immune surveillance, and clonal proliferation of tumoral cells. The T-cell immune system contributes to the pathogenesis, maintenance, and progression of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Here, we comprehensively reviewed our current biological knowledge of the T-cell compartment in MDS and recent advances in the development of immunotherapeutic strategies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors and T-cell- and antibody-based adoptive therapies that hold promise to improve the outcome of patients with MDS.

Next Directions In The Neuroscience Of Cancers Arising Outside The Cns, Moran Amit, Corina Anastasaki, Robert Dantzer, Ihsan Ekin Demir, Benjamin Deneen, Karen O Dixon, Mikala Egeblad, Erin M Gibson, Shawn L Hervey-Jumper, Hubert Hondermarck, Claire Magnon, Michelle Monje, Shorook Na'ara, Yuan Pan, Elizabeth A Repasky, Nicole N Scheff, Erica K Sloan, Sebastien Talbot, Kevin J Tracey, Lloyd C Trotman, Manuel Valiente, Linda Van Aelst, Varun Venkataramani, Humsa S Venkatesh, Paola D Vermeer, Frank Winkler, Richard J Wong, David H Gutmann, Jeremy C Borniger

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The field of cancer neuroscience has begun to define the contributions of nerves to cancer initiation and progression; here, we highlight the future directions of basic and translational cancer neuroscience for malignancies arising outside of the central nervous system.

Bi-Allelic Acbd6 Variants Lead To A Neurodevelopmental Syndrome With Progressive And Complex Movement Disorders, Rauan Kaiyrzhanov, Aboulfazl Rad, Sheng-Jia Lin, Aida Bertoli-Avella, Wouter W Kallemeijn, Annie Godwin, Maha S Zaki, Kevin Huang, Tracy Lau, Cassidy Petree, Stephanie Efthymiou, Ehsan Ghayoor Karimiani, Maja Hempel, Elizabeth A Normand, Sabine Rudnik-Schöneborn, Ulrich A Schatz, Marc P Baggelaar, Muhammad Ilyas, Tipu Sultan, Javeria Raza Alvi, Manizha Ganieva, Ben Fowler, Ruxandra Aanicai, Gulsen Akay Tayfun, Abdulaziz Al Saman, Abdulrahman Alswaid, Nafise Amiri, Nilufar Asilova, Vorasuk Shotelersuk, Patra Yeetong, Matloob Azam, Meisam Babaei, Gholamreza Bahrami Monajemi, Pouria Mohammadi, Saeed Samie, Selina Husna Banu, Jorge Pinto Basto, Fanny Kortüm, Mislen Bauer, Peter Bauer, Christian Beetz, Masoud Garshasbi, Awatif Hameed Issa, Wafaa Eyaid, Hind Ahmed, Narges Hashemi, Kazem Hassanpour, Isabella Herman, Sherozjon Ibrohimov, Ban A Abdul-Majeed, Maria Imdad, Maksudjon Isrofilov, Qassem Kaiyal, Suliman Khan, Brian Kirmse, Janet Koster, Charles Marques Lourenço, Tadahiro Mitani, Oana Moldovan, David Murphy, Maryam Najafi, Davut Pehlivan, Maria Eugenia Rocha, Vincenzo Salpietro, Miriam Schmidts, Adel Shalata, Mohammad Mahroum, Jawabreh Kassem Talbeya, Robert W Taylor, Dayana Vazquez, Annalisa Vetro, Hans R Waterham, Mashaya Zaman, Tina A Schrader, Wendy K Chung, Renzo Guerrini, James R Lupski, Joseph Gleeson, Mohnish Suri, Yalda Jamshidi, Kailash P Bhatia, Barbara Vona, Michael Schrader, Mariasavina Severino, Matthew Guille, Edward W Tate, Gaurav K Varshney, Henry Houlden, Reza Maroofian

Faculty, Staff and Students Publications

The acyl-CoA-binding domain-containing protein 6 (ACBD6) is ubiquitously expressed, plays a role in the acylation of lipids and proteins and regulates the N-myristoylation of proteins via N-myristoyltransferase enzymes (NMTs). However, its precise function in cells is still unclear, as is the consequence of ACBD6 defects on human pathophysiology. Using exome sequencing and extensive international data sharing efforts, we identified 45 affected individuals from 28 unrelated families (consanguinity 93%) with bi-allelic pathogenic, predominantly loss-of-function (18/20) variants in ACBD6. We generated zebrafish and Xenopus tropicalis acbd6 knockouts by CRISPR/Cas9 and characterized the role of ACBD6 on protein N-myristoylation with myristic acid alkyne …